Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Sometimes you just want to create! Sometimes you want to give a homemade gift from the heart! Sometimes, your intentions are bigger than your busy schedule allows! Am I right?
MyMemories is here for you! Enjoy this free tutorial and these free Valentine's card freebies to go with it! Click on the images below to go to the download page.

Happy Valentine's Day from me and the folks at MyMemories!
If you are ready to jump head first into the world of digital scrapbooking, use my code, STMMMS46094, when your order MyMemories Suite. You'll get $10 off AND $10 in digital downloads to get you off to a strong start!

Attention, fellow scrappers! Whether you've gone digital, or doing your scrap booking the old fashioned way, I have a challenge for you! One my goals for 2012 is to keep my scrapbook up to date for this year. As is typical for me, life has gotten in the way. I was out of the country for the first 2 weeks of the year. I came back and my desktop computer, where I do my digital scrap-booking was so "full," it can't take any more. Now that I'm home and have a bigger, better, faster, MORE computer, I am ready to hit the ground running.

Here are the details for the challenge:

From Feb. 1-Feb. 29, complete at least 1 scrapbook page per day.

2 Page spreads count as 2 pages, so if you miss a day, you're all good!

Post your work for all to glean inspiration, using the linky tools at the bottom of each post.

Tweet your updates using the hash-tag: #love2scrap!

Have FUN FUN FUNand get those pages DONE!

To help you with inspiration, I will post some form of inspiration for you each day. It might be a color scheme, a layout sketch, a phrase you can incorporate into your layouts, whatever! Please share your work! We will also glean inspiration from each others pages.

Monday, January 23, 2012

You've heard of the 12 Days of Christmas, right? Well, what about 14 days of Valentines for your beloved from February 1-14? It doesn't have to be anything grandios or expensive, just small tokens of your love and affection. I have encountered a few variations of this idea around the web. This is my take on it. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Day 1: Let Me Count the Ways
Start out your 14 day love-venture by letting your honey know what you're up to! Write some things you love about him/her on pink, red, and white slips of paper. Roll them up and put them in a cute little jar. Tie a ribbon around it and present it to your sweetie on the first day of February.

Day 2: You Spice Up My Life
Make a jar of homemade salsa, or just make a creative label for a store bought jar and tell your Valentine how he/she spices up your life.

Day 3: Coffee, Tea, or Me?
For the tea drinker in your life, a cute, inexpensive tea cup, with a unique teabag and a cute card would go a long way! If your heart-throb is a coffee drinker, how about a gift card for their favorite coffee house, tucked into a coffee themed love note?

Day 4: For My Sweetie
Make some Valentine's goodies such as heart shaped cookies or candies and present it to your sweetie.

Day 5: You light up my life
Wrap a tea-light or votive in a candle holder in a piece of tissue paper and tie a ribbon around it with this sentiment.

Day 6: You Are One Hot Tamale (on a box of Hot Tamales, of course!)

Day 7: I'm Nuts About You (on a can of his/her favorite nuts!)

Day 8: You're the Icing on the Cake!
Make their favorite cake/cupcake and include this little note with it! If you're feeling super crafty, you can decorate a box to put the cupcake in!

Day 9: Love Potion #9
Get a bottle of your loved one's favorite beverage. Make a cute label on your computer or with scrap-booking supplies that says "Love Potion #9." Serve it with breakfast or lunch, as appropriate.

Day 10: Just the Two Of Us
Slip tickets to a movie, concert, sporting event or other event under the morning paper, or on the bathroom mirror for your Valentine to find. You could up the anticipation factor by making a scavenger hunt out of it, leaving clues as to where to look next!

Day 11: I'm Bananas Over You
Use some monkey and heart clip art to create a card on your computer. It doesn't have to be fancy. Attach it to a small bunch of bananas and set it somewhere your love with find it.

Day 12: I Think You're RED HOT!
Attach a label and some ribbon to a baggie with red hots!

Day 13: You Make Me All Bubbly Inside
Attach this love note to a bottle of bubble bath (to be enjoyed together, perhaps?), or a bottle of bubbly!

Day 14: You Knock My Socks Off
Give your sweetie a pair of wild, wacky socks with this cute sentiment! It doesn't hurt if it accompanies a larger gift, and/or a box of chocolates, and/or a dozen roses!

Do you plan to shower your loved one with 14 days of Valentines? If so, please comment with your ideas!

Friday, January 20, 2012

I've had some family drama today, so I will keep this brief. Click on the image below to download the Free Quick Pages from MyMemories. You can use the MyMemories Suite, or any digi-scrap application. Remember, if you want to purchase MyMemories Suite, use my code: STMMMS46094 for $10 off AND $10 in digital downloads!

I am actually quite famous within my family for my laughter, my ability to laugh until I cry, or on one occasion, laugh until I puked. It was our family's Christmas dinner at my aunt's house. I was probably between 7-10 years old. My brothers, cousin, and I had our very own "kids table" in a separate room from the grown ups.

I have no idea what set me off, but my brothers got me to laughing. I couldn't stop. I have a feeling it was a joke that was over my head, that I laughed at anyway, then thought it was funny I was laughing and laughed at the fact I was laughing at a joke I didn't understand. Understand? Ha! Anyway, I kept telling them to stop. Any chance I got to take a breath, I warned my youngest older brother to stop making me laugh.

By warned, I mean I forgot to mention to him that I was about to barf my dinner all over HIS dinner plate! That's because I didn't see it coming. I knew I needed to stop laughing or I'd get in trouble. I just didn't know trouble was coming in that form!

I am pretty sure my family is counting on my darling daughter, who's THREE today, to re-enact that scenario some day...just by virtue of being MINE!

That wasn't the last time I laughed so hard I cried, just the first and last time I laughed so hard I puked!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Well, here it is...my cave. I share my blog-spot with my work-at-home (W@H) office, my craft room, and my guest room. Needless to say, it gets a bit crowded and CLUTTERED. Hopefully this is a "before" picture and I can tidy up a bit and post an updated "After" shot!

I simply could not work without dual monitors. Blogging, surfing, social networking, yes. Working without dual monitors would be like asking me to sit on my hands and compose training materials by typing with my NOSE! When my system gets slow and needs to clunk through publishing a web based course or something, I can transition to Twitter or Blogger with the click of a couple of buttons. I don't really leave my desk all day except to fetch my coffee and lunch, then I'm back at it.

Since I spend most of my waking hours here, I really do want to make it a more pleasant place to hang out. I have already removed the outdated calendar. I have my boss's name written on my white board because she's a relatively new boss and I kept calling her Trish instead of Tricia. Everything else on my white board is quite outdated. My bulletin board could use a little updating too.

I really need to work on drinking water from my posh new, BPA-free blue cup! When I received it as a gift, I was really optimistic that it would help me get my 64+ ounces a day. So far, that hasn't panned out like I had planned.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Now that I have recovered (almost) from my trip to the UK, I will try to catch up on my Blog Dare posts! I was with my sister when she had her baby. It reminded me of the first time I saw Miss M (my daughter, who's about to turn THREE!)! My sister's labor & delivery story was very similar to mine, which brought it all flooding back to me, not like I'll ever forget!

I remember being overdue. I remember going to church the Sunday after she was due and of course, in case it wasn't obvious, everyone asked where the baby was! I remember how I couldn't wait to meet her. I remember that I wasn't as terribly uncomfortable as most mommies-to-be, but I just couldn't stand the agony of not knowing WHEN she would arrive! That about drove me nuts, until...

January 18, 2009, around 4:00 p.m. I was on Facebook, chatting with my bestie, Michelle. She had recently moved a couple of hours away and it was killing us both! We were having a lovely chat, when...OUCH! What was that?! Chat, chat, chat! WHOA that HURT! Chat, chat, chat...uhh, I think we better keep track of how often this is happening...more chat, finally I had to go tell hubby it was time to get ready. I knew our little one would be here before long.

I spent some time in the tub to relax. I love the water and had read great things about laboring in the water. All through the night, I tapped on hubby's shoulder so he could document the start of my contractions. Great way to make sure neither one of us got any sleep! by 10:00 the morning of January 19, I was in so much pain I was throwing up. I had a pretty good feeling that things were going to get a lot worse, rather than better. I told hubby to get ready to take me to the hospital NOW.

Away we went. It turned out I wasn't quite "ready" for them to keep me, but since I was to be induced the next day anyway, they let me stay. Probably cuz I was such a cry baby. Contractions HURT, man! I had been coached by my mental midwife to speak the word "epidural" every other word until they hooked me up. I did as instructed and got my epidural going lickety split. Once I knew I wasn't leaving that hospital w/out a baby, I relaxed a bit and could actually smile again!

Once they got the drugs going, I tried to rest between contractions as much as possible (yeah right). Fast forward a bit: Mom & Dad arrived. A little while later, my sister arrived too. They were just hanging out with me while I writhed in agony. Finally, it was time for the big show! I mean, really time! We went from "hopefully she'll be here before 10:00, I have an early morning appointment," (spoken by my OB) to mom telling the nurse, "I..I think I see her HEAD! (Miss M's, not mine!)" All of a sudden, the room was FULL of people. Doc was in the room next door, finishing up with another mommy and baby (the NERVE!). He arrived just in the nick of time to get me through the last few pushes.

They handed her to me...she was so warm and gooey and purpley...crying like WTF just happened!? I just held her and told her "It's OK, honey, we've both had a VERY big day!" Oddly enough, I think my sister, who is not the one with the front row seat to her nieces delivery, uttered pretty much the same thing to her son on January 5, 2012!

It was so surreal to finally hold her in my arms. I was in the deepest love imaginable and could not take my eyes off of her. That was the first time I saw...my daughter.

We are halfway through the new year and I am SO far behind already. Well, it's worth it! I just returned from a trip to the UK where I spent some time with my sister before she went into labor, and had a few days left over to help out, post-baby! Now I am catching up on blogging, reading, stamping, and digi-scrapping. OK, well maybe not digi-scrapping. My computer is full to the gills with who knows what. I am afraid the large files generated from digi-scrapping will crash the whole thing, so that is on hold.

I did, however get the opportunity to make a couple of cards! My BFF, J.Ho has an awesome daughter, whom I happen to ADORE. This precious gem was my flower girl, and also the person to change my heart about having a daughter of my own. Before I met Jocalynn, painted her toenails, played the "match" game with adult and baby animals with her, and laughed out loud (literally) when her mom told me she requested "chicken ears" (better known as chicken wings to adults), I had NO desire to have a girl. The thought scared the bajeebies out of me. Anway...enough about the sappy stuff. I just can't help it. I love that girl!

Well, my lil' buddy is in her teeth losing years! I have the honor and privilege of participating in the Tooth Fairy Charade by creating cards from the tooth fairy. I love the technique I used with the pink ribbon. I need some practice with the folding on the right side of the circle, but I think it came out OK.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Now that these ornaments have been gifted, I can finally post about them!
I used MyMemories Suite. I joined 4 circular punches, with a square in the middle (it's important to line them up correctly, or they won't match up come glue time.

I then filled the circles with one background paper and the square with another. I then copied the page 5 times for a total of 6 images. I then imported pics from throughout the year off of my friend's Facebook page to commemorate the year.

I printed the pages out on card stock and cut out the shapes. I then used a bone folder to fold at the edges of the squares. I glued the half circles together with glue stick and used a ribbon as the ornament hanger. I played around with the arrangement first by paper-clipping the half circles together before gluing.

One of my goals this year is to do one YouTube video per month, so I will make a tutorial when I get home from the U.K., where I am currently awaiting the birth of my nephew.

I only recently increased my blogging and tweeting. I discovered Bloggy Moms and joined the Blog Dare for 2012. Today's prompt is My Social Media Goals for 2012. Without further ado, here they are!

Blog at least 5 days a week, even if it's only brief.

Get into YouTube with at least 1 video demo/tutorial per month.

Pimp out my blog with tools to help my readers follow me and share my content.

I don't know what would be reasonable goals as far as Twitter followers, GFC, page views, etc. would be at this point, so I'm just going to make a concerted effort to post more often, and be an authentic member of the blogosphere and let everything grow organically. Maybe next year I will have a firmer grasp on this stuff and set concrete goals.